In response to today’s announcement from Welcome to Yorkshire about the route for the Tour de Yorkshire 2018, Cllr Tim Swift, Calderdale Council’s Leader said:
“Hosting the Tour de Yorkshire is a great opportunity for Calderdale and I’m delighted to learn that the Piece Hall in Halifax will be the start of Stage 4 of the race.
“Today’s announcement at the Piece Hall revealed that the recently transformed visitor destination will be the start location for the fourth day of the race, with the full route taking in parts of Halifax town centre before travelling out to Luddendenfoot and Mytholmroyd.
“This stage has been nicknamed the Yorkshire Terrier as it’s the most hilly of the stages, taking in difficult terrain and including six categorised climbs. The first of these will be in Calderdale as the race climbs from Hebden Bridge to Oxenhope.
“This will be the third time that Calderdale has featured in the Tour de Yorkshire and I’m delighted that as a start location we’re able to play an even bigger part in the race for 2018, once again showcasing our fantastic area.
“The Tour de Yorkshire is a great boost for tourism in Calderdale as well as bringing economic and community benefits. Last year’s event was shown in 180 countries and boosted the Yorkshire economy by £64 million.
“With the race increasing to four days this year this figure is likely to increase and with the Piece Hall featuring so prominently, this is fantastic news for the local economy and tourism in Calderdale.”